The Last Page
by Musica Diabolos
Summary: A collection of some alternate endings to Ptolemy's Gate, meant to appease heartbroken readers...please read and review! I love you all!
1. Hold Me Until My Last: NatKitty

Hi...here is the first of my alernate endings. It is a tragic NatKitty ending...please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Bartimaeus trilogy, only these alternate ways of ending it. Oh, Mr. Stroud, why couldn't you have shown some compassion!

* * *

As he completed the Words of Dismissal, Nathaniel could feel the pain even more than before. Then Bartimaeus vanished; he was glad he had done something good, at least, before he died. They understood each other completely in that last moment. 

The Staff broke upon his knee as Nouda bore down upon him in rage; he was surprised at how easily it broke, as the imprisoned entities escaped into the world for the first time in a hundred years. _How easily everything is broken_, he thought to himself.

As they had predicted, the explosion blew the roof apart, and glass and iron rained down on them all. To his great surprise, however, he was not crushed by the debris; instead, the force of the powerful explosion that was destroying Nouda at last catapulted him into the air, far from the Glass Palace.

He landed on the street outside, knowing then that he had broken every bone in his body. Without Bartimaeus' support, he found himself slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

After leaving the two of them with Nouda, Kitty was troubled. Nathaniel could not survive long wounded, even with Bartimaeus backing him up. She fingered the Amulet of Samarkand around her neck, suddenly realizing something. She more than cared about him getting back safely. 

She turned around and ran as fast as she was able back to the palace just as the roof imploded and glass and iron rained down upon where she knew the end was. Tears glistened in her eyes, but she kept on running. She had to know…

Something caught her eye…a dark figure flew though the air to land several feet away from her.

Kitty let out a cry: it was Nathaniel.

* * *

Someone was gently patting his face…gasping, Nathaniel came round. He was alive. Why was he still alive? He could barely see or feel anything… 

Kitty's face slowly swam in front of his eyes; she was alive too, and the relief was almost painful. Then he saw that she was crying.

"No," he said faintly, wondering if she could even hear him. After his last defiance of Nouda and the dismissal of Bartimaeus, he felt weaker than ever, but he didn't want her to cry for him.

* * *

Kitty saw his eyes open, clouded with pain and death. And she cried because she knew right then that she loved him, and she didn't want it to happen. Not after all they had been through…to end it here… 

She cradled his head on her lap, tears streaming freely down her face to add more lines to those that had appeared on her face after her journey to the Other Place. Kitty was only dimly aware of the people surrounding the two of them, of Piper kneeling beside her, looking stricken.

"Kitty," she said falteringly.

"We need to get him to a hospital," Kitty said quickly. "Hurry! Can't you see what's happening?"

She loved him too much to lose him, now…

"Oh, Kitty."

Piper pointed west, and Kitty saw the burning ruins of a hospital. But it didn't matter, there were others…they just needed more time!

Nathaniel's face was whiter than parchment, and she knew it would be too late. She could not ease his pain or his passing; she could only hold him until the last…

He whispered her name.

* * *

"Hello, Kitty," he said. 

Nathaniel had told the djinni to say it, not believing he would ever see her again…because he had known, when he left her to confront Nouda, that he loved her with all of his heart. She had made him strong, and brave, and many other things besides.

But Nathaniel knew he was dying; he had expected it, in the Glass Palace, which is why he had dismissed Bartimaeus, but the fact that he had been given a few more minutes to live made it all a lot harder to let go of.

He gently moved his hand to grasp hers, tears starting from his own eyes.

* * *

Nathaniel's grip on her hand was weak, almost invisible, but Kitty knew it was there. That was all that mattered. 

Like many commoners with little to do in their childhood, she had read books where people died in others' arms. Was this what he wanted?

His grip was loosening, but she held on grimly.

* * *

It was becoming harder to breathe, and his eyes could barely focus on her face now…but this was where he wanted it to end, in a place with warmth and love. 

He was back in the park on a peaceful summer's day, with Ms. Lutyens sketching by his side, encouraging him…perhaps she would think better of him after this. He would never forget her cold contempt of him only a day or so ago…had his life changed so fast?

The dream changed. Now Kitty was there too, always there for him, even when things were ending…

* * *

Kitty could feel him slipping away from her now, and she bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. If this was what love really was, she didn't want any more of it! 

His eyes were misted over, but he was smiling.

"If you must go," she whispered into his ear, "at least take a part of me with you."

Then she leant over him and kissed him gently as he gave his last breath; then Nathaniel died in the arms of someone who would always love him.

* * *

Okay, more endings coming soon. Hope you liked it, or that it made you cry but still feel satisfied! 


	2. Unexpected: BartKitty

* * *

Okay, this really shor ending is Bartimaeus'. Ends with a kiss, jsut like the last one...review please!

* * *

I felt like kicking myself, but something like that just doesn't work when your essence is being transported to the Other Place. On the other hand, I was willing to bet mostly everyone would believe me to be dead as well, which meant I was in for a long, peaceful sojourn. 

The doors opened for me; I drifted in sadly. And I couldn't believe why I was sad.

Then I felt the pull on my essence again. What now? Could Nathaniel have possibly survived? I doubted it. Maybe some random American magician had discovered my name.

As I materialized in the pentacle, I actually considered taking Nathaniel's form; it was just like Ptolemy, really, and I thought maybe he needed me to be remembered. My form elongated into his.

Then I saw that it was Kitty in the pentacle opposite.

By the look in her eyes as she saw me, I thought that maybe it was a bad idea to remind her of Nathaniel. I shifted into Ptolemy's form sadly. We stared at each other for a while.

"Nathaniel says hello," I said quietly.

Her eyes widened and her lower lip quivered until she bit it.

"Thank-you," she said. "I-I summoned you because…I had to know. How did you survive?"

I wouldn't have told anyone else, but perhaps she deserved to know.

"He dismissed me," I said. "About two seconds before…you know…"

She did know. Not that I was afraid to say it, but I had a feeling that Kitty didn't need to be hurt any more than she already had been.

Her eyes filled suddenly, and I was forcibly reminded of our conversation three years ago, when she told me that Honorius had murdered all her friends…

She stepped from her pentacle into mine quite suddenly. I had expected this, because she trusted me now as she hadn't before going to the Other Place.

"Did he – did you – is Nouda gone? I only saw the roof crash down…"

I didn't really know, but I could guess.

"Yes, he's gone," I said. "Nathaniel did it…"

She suddenly threw her arms around my form, just like she had in the Other Place…that much was unexpected. Would Ptolemy have done that? I wondered.

"I'm just glad that one of you is alive," she whispered.

Then her barrier broke and she was sobbing onto Ptolemy's shoulder; I must say, he was a bit short for this kind of thing. I took Nathaniel's rather taller form, and this time it seemed to rather comfort her. Hesitantly, I placed my arms around her, too.

"Kitty…did you love him?"

I knew there was something between them that spurred each other on, but I had only felt Nathaniel's side of it. She stopped crying and looked at me.

"Both of you," she said. "I loved both of you."

Gently, carefully, she leaned towards me and placed her lips on mine, her aura glowing stronger than I had ever seen it. _This_ was something Ptolemy had never done…

Thus Bartimaeus of Uruk shared a kiss with a commoner girl. And you thought Swans of Araby could never happen.

* * *

Okay, I PROMISE Nathaniel won't die in the next one! More coming soon! 


	3. If You Believe: NatKitty

It's finally here! I know you guys have been waiting forever for this ending, and trust me, it's a happy one! The problem was figuring out how on earth Nathaniel could possibly survive...I had to back up in the book a bit, as you can see. Hope you like it, I have a few more ideas coming ASAP!_  
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* * *

She pointed to the scratch on her cheek. "Some thanks that is. Anyway, I had to come by and see how you were…doing…" Her eyes fell on Nathaniel's side; they widened. "What the_ hell_?"_

"_According to Bartimaeus, it's nothing," Nathaniel said blandly._

_She bent close. "Oh my God. We have to get you out of here."_

"I don't think so," Bartimaeus said through him. "In case you haven't noticed, Nouda's just about done wreaking havoc in the Glass Palace. He'll get bored soon enough; in case you haven't realized, this is the spirit that destroyed Persepolis…he's got an awful track record."

"We know," said Kitty, who was eyeing Nathaniel concernedly. "But how are you supposed to fight him in this condition? I hate to be blunt, and I'm no medic, but if you don't get out of here _fast _you could die."

"I'm actually not worried about that," said Nathaniel quietly. "More about saving this city's population, which includes you. I wouldn't try to drag me, if I were you."

Looking into her eyes, he saw tears gathering in their corners. Wincing as he readjusted his position, Nathaniel tried to reassure her.

"I'll be all right, honestly."

"At least take the Amulet!" she choked out, unable to stop the flow of tears down her lined face.

"You know I can't do that," he said, closing his eyes.

_Open up!_ said Bartimaeus. His eyes snapped open of their own accord.

Kitty gripped his hand.

"I'm not leaving you here to die," she said. "How much time have we got before Nouda moves out?"

"I'd estimate ten minutes," Nathaniel and Bartimaeus said together, looking through the bush at where Nouda was blundering around, screeching for Faquarl. Commoners ran out of his path, terrified.

Kitty's grip on his hand was firm despite her weakness, and so he allowed himself to be brought out of the Glass Palace. Once out on the street, they were surrounded by some of the remaining magicians (which included, to his surprise and relief, Ms. Piper) and a few of the commoners. He looked around.

"Where's Ms. Farrar?" he said, his voice weakening.

"She went for her wolves, apparently," said Piper brusquely, taking him from Kitty's hold and leading him to the only park bench left undestroyed. "Are you hurt?"

"Somewhat," he said through gritted teeth. "But we need a plan. The only way to destroy Nouda right now would be to use the full, uncontrolled power of the Staff; he's just absorbing anything smaller we throw at him. Ow!"

Piper had taken out someone's first aid kit and was bandaging his side to the best of her ability.

"Sorry, Mr. Mandrake, sorry!" she said.

"His name is Nathaniel," Kitty said. Nathaniel tried to smile at her, because that meant a lot to him right now. He wanted the magician who was John Mandrake to disappear. Piper grinned, but then her expression became serious.

"Can you feel this at all?" she said.

"It's kind of gone numb, if that's what you mean," he said tensely. "Is that bad?"

"Not if we get you out of here," said Kitty.

Nathaniel forced himself to his feet with Bartimaeus' aid.

_Thanks_, he thought to the djinni.

_No problem_, was the reply. _It's been swell._

"We need to destroy Nouda first," he said. "But if I break the staff and unleash the entities_ here_, the street is likely to blow up with us and not touch him at all."

"We need to somehow blow it _away_ from us," said Bartimaeus. "Preferably at the roof. That's made of iron, that is, and he won't like that on his essence."

Piper frowned, and most of the commoners looked rather confused.

"Did you just speak _twice_?" she asked, looking at him as though suddenly worried about his sanity.

"That's Bartimaeus," said Nathaniel. _Say hello,_ he told the djinni, _but please don't embarrass with the kind of things you were doing in front of Kitty._

_Come on, you enjoyed that_, came the sarcastic voice in his head.

_Not really._

His hand shot up and wiggled its fingers. Staring at it for a moment, Nathaniel nodded.

"I see," said Piper, her brow furrowed. "Why hasn't he just taken over your mind like the other magicians?"

It was Kitty who answered.

"They're one in the same now," she said. "I trust Bartimaeus, and so should you."

"Oh, so we're trusting _demons_ now," said one of the lower magicians darkly. "Aren't they the ones destroying London presently?"

"Come on!" Nathaniel tried to yell, but his voice was faint in his own ears. "If we don't do something other than argue, the city will be destroyed."

"Nathaniel," said Kitty suddenly, "couldn't Bartimaeus make an explosion that will break the staff _and_ blow it away from us?"

"Perhaps," he said, thinking hard. "I'd have to say the words of dismissal at the exact right moment…and the Detonation would have to go off no more than a second afterwards…"

"I think I can swing it," said Bartimaeus. "You use your mouth, I'll use your arms."

"All right," Nathaniel murmured weakly, his face grim and set. "We'll have to try."

Piper bent over him.

"What did you say?" she asked. "I can't hear you."

This time Bartimaeus used his voice.

"I said, we'll have to try."

At that moment, Nouda burst out of the entrance of the Glass Palace.

* * *

In the moments that followed, I really didn't know what to think. I knew that if we had remained in the Palace, Nathaniel (and perhaps me as well) would probably be very dead. On the other hand, Nouda would have perhaps already been destroyed; what we had to do now was much more complex. 

They were all trying to be brave, I could tell, but I could see the worry in the eyes of all the random people surrounding. I had to hold Nathaniel up with all my strength, but I could still feel his limbs shaking; he wasn't going to hold much longer.

Then Nouda crashed out of the big Glass Palace, and I knew our thinking time was up.

Despite this, Nathaniel acted immediately, beginning the Words of Dismissal for the many great entities still trapped inside the Staff. Can't imagine what it would be like, really, to be trapped in a great long stick _with someone else_ for about one hundred years…still, nothing compared to my three thousand years of enslavement.

I waited patiently for my cue…if I didn't hit the Staff after exactly the right syllable, we'd all be killed by the explosion, if not by Nouda.

Kitty stepped up beside us, a blank expression on her face. She put a gentle hand on Nathaniel's trembling shoulder, and I immediately felt his hormones go into overdrive. What was stirring between these two? Honestly, I've just never understood human social needs.

But then Nathaniel's concentration was broken as Nouda spotted us.

"Bartimaeus!" he cried in deep, resounding tones. "I see you!"

Nathaniel thought something…what was it? Then he said it so quietly I could barely hear it. I got the gist, however, and gladly proclaimed it for him.

"I am Nathaniel!" we shouted. "I am your master! I am your death!"

That's the sort of goad a seventeen-year-old needs to come up with everyday…I was proud of him, in that moment.

He spoke the final words and I sent off my most powerful Detonation from his outstretched hand. The Staff was propelled through the air towards Nouda and exploded with a resounding CRACK! I supposed that Gladstone would have winced at that.

The roof of the palace cracked as well, and I winced myself as the iron rained down upon Nouda, who let out a resounding cry that in a lesser entity might have been labelled as a whine. His essence was too vulnerable, too exposed…combined with the terrifying, unleashed power of Gladstone's staff, he was destroyed utterly.

I lost my grip on keeping the poor boy up, and he collapsed sideways into Kitty. She grabbed him just in time, and the girl called Piper helped them both up.

"We did it," said Kitty, her eyes wide and – there was no help for it – glistening with new tears. Oh, bother.

"Nice of you to state the obvious," I said, and Nathaniel clapped a hand over his mouth. He obviously hadn't meant this most meaningful moment to go like this.

_Bartimaeus…_he said to me mentally.

_What now?_ I replied boredly. _You going to try to punish me again? Because you know, in your own body that might be pretty painful._

_No, _he thought. _I - believe that time is well past. I'm going to let you go._

Now _that_ part surprised me. In our entire career together, Nathaniel had never dismissed me before receiving intense reminders and even terrible threats on my part. I wasn't sure I'd heard correctly.

_Yeah, right._ I told him. _You just want me out so you can get the girl to yourself. _

To my puzzlement, there was no reply, just the carefully placed incantation of my own dismissal. He was watching Kitty again, and I could feel tears in his own eyes…weird emotions to have at the end of a great victory. I always found gloating satisfactory, myself, and I had thought he favoured governmental promotion.

But I thought I knew the cause of it all, as my bind to the earth and to him lessened. When I soared above all their heads at last in a billowing white cloud of essence my vision was obscured, but everything I had sensed in my last few moments as a slave painted the perfect picture of a kiss.

* * *

Haha, I've decided that nearly all my endings will end with a kiss! For all people reading my other fic, new chapter coming as soon as I can! I haven't been neglecting you all! 

Now press the button and review!


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